Manuel Ramírez

Manuel Ramírez

Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Manuel Ramírez was born on September 20, 1945, in Villa Matamoros, Chihuahua, México; he has eleven brothers and sisters; his father, Adolfo Ramírez Bañuelos, enlisted in the bracero program in 1946; as a bracero, he worked in Colorado and Texas; when Manuel was eleven years old, he worked with his father in Texas, but he was eventually deported; in 1958, Adolfo became seriously ill as a result of his duties, and he was hospitalized; shortly thereafter, he was also deported.

Summary of Interview: Manuel Ramírez discusses his father, Adolfo Ramírez Bañuelos, and his perceptions of the United States that led to his decision to become a bracero; at the time, Adolfo was married and had five children; in 1946, he traveled to Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México, to enlist in the bracero program; he was then transported by train to Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, and then by caravan to the county coliseum in El Paso, Texas, where ranchers chose their workers; on one occasion, he was transferred by plane from El Paso to Colorado; Manuel goes on to describe the various difficulties and humiliations his father underwent with each contract, including being deloused; as a bracero, Adolfo worked in Colorado and Texas; when Manuel was eleven years old, he worked with his father in Ysleta, Texas, and was paid in cash, because he was undocumented; he was eventually deported and warned that the next time, he would be incarcerated; in 1958, while working in Ysleta, Adolfo had to clean out a room where a group of braceros had died the night before due to carbon monoxide poisoning; as a result he became seriously ill, and he was hospitalized; shortly thereafter, he was also deported.

Chew, Selfa

Ramírez, Manuel

2005-11-12

Bracero

Cristóbal Borges

Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso

spa

Manuel Ramírez

Chew, Selfa

Cristóbal A. Borges

Institute of Oral History, The University of Texas at El Paso

Mini Disc

35:30

24 bit
96 k

Chew, Selfa

Ramírez, Manuel

El Paso, Texas

[Mins 0:00-3:28; Introduction and Early Life] Manuel has eleven brothers and sisters and his father was a Bracero. Manuel’s father was born in 1912 in Guanaceví, Durango, México, as one of two children. He attended school until the second or third grade. When Manuel’s father became a Bracero, he was married and had five children. Manuel was one month old at the time. Manuel’s grandfather was an official who accompanied Pancho Villa, so Manuel’s father had to work in the family’s butcher shop when he was eight or nine years old.

[Mins 3:29-6:36; Decision to Become a Bracero] When Manuel’s father became a Bracero, Manuel and his family lived in Villa Matamoros, Chihuahua, México, called [San Isidro de] Las Cuevas, Chihuahua, México at that time. Manuel remembers hearing his father refer to the Bracero Program as la Bracereada. Before he joined the Bracero Program, according to Manuel, his father had lost his job at the butcher shop because he lacked knowledge about the way in which it operated. Thus, Manuel’s father became involved in agricultural labor. Manuel’s father had a cousin in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México who wrote to him about the Bracero Program, saying that he had signed up. Manuel’s father then traveled to Ciudad Juárez to sign up as well. Manuel remarks that at the time his father signed up to become a Bracero, his means were very low. Manuel states that he believes that it was hard for his mother to be left alone with five children in México, worrying about her husband’s well-being in the United States.

[Mins 6:37-8:04; Processing] Manuel recalls his father telling him about the “humiliations” he underwent each time he was contracted. Manuel states that his father and other Braceros were transported on a cargo truck packed with Braceros to Ciudad Juárez where they were taken over the [United States-México] bridge. They were disrobed, bathed, and sprayed with a powder [DDT] to rid them of lice. Manuel remarks that his father recalled the episode with much sadness.

[Mins 8:05-10:10; Perceptions of the United States] Manuel believes that his father enlisted in the Bracero Program in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México in 1946. Manuel relates that the Braceros’ “steady goal” was to make money in the United States. He remarks that they had an illusion of the United States as a “goldmine.”

[Mins 10:11-12:52; Methods of Travel] Manuel’s father and other Braceros traveled by bus from [San Isidro de] Las Cuevas to Chihuahua, and by train from Chihuahua to Ciudad Juárez. From Ciudad Juárez they were taken by caravan over the [United States-México] bridge and dropped off at the El Paso County Coliseum in El Paso, Texas to be “recruited” by growers. Manuel’s father told him that he was once transported from El Paso to Colorado by plane. Manuel’s father was very frightened because the light aircraft was making noises as if it was about to break. After that experience, Manuel’s father always refused to travel by plane.

[Mins 12:53-16:38; Processing Continued] Manuel’s father described the processing centers as “unhygienic,” saying that some men smelled. Manuel conjectures on the men’s sleeping practices while at the processing centers. Manuel is not aware of what requirement were necessary for his father to gain a Bracero contract except for a medical exam which he believes included a vaccination. Manuel does not believe that his father had any say as to which worksite he was assigned, the length of his contract, or how much he was paid. Between contracts, Manuel’s father worked in construction in México.

[Mins 16:39-21:25; Ysleta, Texas] Manuel’s father was a Bracero from 1946 to 1958, returning to México after each contract. He worked in both Colorado and Ysleta, Texas. In Ysleta, Manuel’s father and twenty other Braceros picked cotton and collected eggs. Manuel remembers admiring a Bracero who worked with his father in Ysleta because of his agility and speed. Manuel’s father became lasting friends with a fellow Bracero named Candelario [Manuel does not remember his surnames].

[Mins 21:26-24:29; Manuel’s Labor and Deportation] Manuel worked with his father in Ysleta, Texas, collecting eggs. He was eleven years old at the time, did not have any legal documentation, and was paid in cash. He remembers that the Braceros would always give him little bits of bread and/or cookies. Manuel describes the mayordomo [field boss] as “hostile” and “dry,” explaining that he often yelled at the Braceros. Manuel never heard the mayordomo yell at his father. Manuel was deported by INS while he was working in Ysleta. They transported him [across the Ysleta-Zaragoza Bridge] to Colonia Waterfill, Chihuahua, México. Manuel was penniless, and was informed by INS that if he was detained again at the worksite, he would be incarcerated.

[Mins 24:30-25:29; Communication with Family] Manuel states that there was no contact between his father and his family while his father was a Bracero, but then states that every fifteen days his father would travel to Ciudad Juárez [it is unclear whether he included this information because his family resided in Ciudad Juárez at the time].

[Mins 25:30-End; Father’s Illness] Manuel relates that one Saturday in 1958 some Braceros in Ysleta had gone drinking in Colonia Waterfill, returned to their living quarters, turned on the heater, and were discovered dead Sunday morning [Manuel seems to imply that they died from carbon monoxide poisoning]. Manuel’s father was ordered to clean the living quarters the following Monday and became grievously ill. He was picked up by the Red Cross, transported to Providence Memorial Hospital in El Paso, and deported upon release. While at the hospital, one and a half of his lungs were removed. Manuel describes the walls of the living quarters as missing sheetrock. The walls were not painted with oil-based paint, but rather were whitewashed with large brushes with lime-based paint. He describes at length the effect his father’s illness had on his family, including what he claims was the cause of the death of his sister, the family’s sudden lack of wage, and his parent’s struggle for treatment.

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